While the instructors at Skydive Fiji went over details like proper body position, flight time, and how to land standing, I was nervously watching Bola (yes, that’s his name) pack our chutes off to the side.

Lucky for me he’s been doing it for many, many years.

Skydiving Parachutes Fiji

Tandem Skydiving

My first skydive would be a tandem jump, which means I’m attached to the front of an instructor using a special full-body harness. Four attachment points ensure I’m stuck to him like glue.

I was paired up with Tony, a veteran skydiver originally from New Zealand with thousands of jumps under his belt.

We left the shop and hopped into a van headed for Nadi International Airport.

Pulling up to a side gate, we sign in with airport security and walk out on the runway where a white, single-engine Cessna 182 is waiting for us.

This is a small plane. It looks like a car with wings.

I peer inside. There’s only one seat. “We sit on the floor” Tony tells me.

Skydiving Fiji

Colorful Island Landscape

There’s another tandem jumper with us today. A German, or maybe Austrian I think. It’s his first time too. Our tiny aircraft will only fit 4 passengers and the pilot — so we all cram in together nice and cozy on the floor of the Cessna.

The door shuts. We speed down the runway before gliding up into the sky.

It’s loud in this plane. I watch Fiji’s main island of Viti Levu get smaller as we climb towards the clouds. More islands reveal themselves across the ocean below.

A colorful mixture of turquoise blue water, white sand beaches, and vibrant green jungle. Kind of looks like a painting down there.

Soon I’ll be diving head-first into that painting.

Skydiving Fiji

Getting Intimate With Tony

Maybe 10 minutes into the flight, Tony asks me to sit on his lap. But I really don’t know him that well yet. Shouldn’t he at least buy me dinner first?

He explains it’s not personal, strictly business. We must link together and tighten down all the straps before the big jump.

We’re still falling, but I can feel air pressure building up beneath us. We’ve hit terminal velocity for a tandem skydive. 120 miles per hour.

For about 60 seconds we plummet through the Troposphere. That may not sound like a long time. But it actually feels like 5 minutes.

Skydiver Landing Fiji

Parachute Landing

Suddenly the free-fall experience stops with a jolt. Tony has pulled the ripcord, unleashing a massive parachute that quickly slows our decent to about 16 mph. The jump isn’t over yet though…

Hanging at either side of me are a pair of steering lines. We can control our direction with them, pulling right to turn right, left to turn left. Pulling hard on one side creates a fast (and fun) downward spiral.

We glide towards the Earth like this for another 7 minutes. Soon I spot the landing zone — Smugglers Cove. There’s a yellow mark in a field beside the beach.

The field has horses in it.

I briefly daydream about landing on a horse to ride off down the beach past bikini-clad girls. Total 007 moment! (minus the man strapped to my back of course..)

Unfortunately, the horses moved out of our way. Oh well, another time. But we do stick the landing.

For the next 8 hours my face aches from a massive smile I can’t seem to get rid of. Adrenaline is powerful stuff. ★

Where to stay in Fiji?

If you’re wondering where to stay in Fiji on a budget here are my recommendations:

Watch Video: Skydiving In Fiji

More Information

Location: Nadi, FijiCompany:Skydive FijiCost: F$735 (about $400 USD)Useful Notes: If you plan to visit Fiji, this is a must-do activity. What an adrenaline rush! There are different prices for different altitudes, go big at 14,000 feet if possible.

Hi, I'm Matthew Karsten — I’ve been traveling around the world for the last 7 years. Adventure travel & photography are my passions. Let me inspire you to travel more with crazy stories, photography, and useful tips from my travel adventures.

I just did my first tandem skydive jump yesterday here in Hawaii. It was awesome! The anticipation, fear, and rush of adrenaline is something I’m not going to soon forget. Your face jumping out of the plane was classic haha.

We were just in Fiji this April and absolutely loved it – especially for their traditions and village life. We’ve skydived in Spain and wanted to do it in Fiji but didn’t get a chance to do it. It looks like SO much fun! Glad you enjoyed it. ;)

Next step? Solo Accelerated Free Fall – even better than tandem. Kudos and happy you stuck a safe landing. I’m heading to Macau for the highest bungee jump on earth in a month after finishing up in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. Did you enjoy the gentle ride down once the parachute opened or the free fall the best?

Love the photos where you can see the curved horizon. I am sure there is a proper word for for it, but hopefully you know what I mean. I don’t think I could ever skydive. Not only would I pull faces like you did, I’d probably also poo myself…:-)

Loved the story and the video! Your bald head looks like a wrinkly bathing cap as you fall :)
I’ll just have to live vicariously thru you, because I have trouble with tops of ladders! Glad you landed safely!

I really envy those who do this because it seems like the ultimate in adventure activities. Unfortunately I probably never will do this. I’m terrible with heights. The mere thought of it makes my palms sweat.

Hahaha that video is AWESOME! Coolest expressions on your face and looks like so much fun. I am terrified of heights, but if I had one place to choose to go sky diving, Fiji looks like the place to do it!

You know what? You ALMOST convinced me that I need to do this. Eric LOVES sky diving. Unfortunately, I have a fear of falling….Great post though. I enjoyed living vicariously through you and letting you do the falling!

Niiice!! I remember my first – and only – skydive. I looked down, too, just before jumping. But amazingly, it almost felt as if the earth was too far away to be all that scary. Really surreal but quite a fun time. Your views looked amaaazing!

Haha I LOVE it. The first time I went skydiving was with my best friend and my dad. It’s the scariest feeling to see your own father jump out of a plane and then be gone. Glad to see that you had such a great time.

This is on my list of things to do in Fiji while we are there during our RTW. We will be there November 2013, can’t wait! Budget pending, I do plan on doing this! Also considering bungee jumping in New Zealand might not be able to afford both…stupid budget! Looks like you a great jump!

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